South Korean liner operator SM Line Corporation said it had achieved its goal of becoming a specialist trans-Pacific carrier after opening a solo service to the west coast of North America. This adds to its China Pacific Express service, launched in 2017, to connect Long Beach with various east Asian ports.

In an attempt to attract tonnage from foreign shipowners before such imports are banned from 1 January 2019, Chinese ship-recycling facilities have raised their prices to match those offered by Turkish yards.

Piracy reporting organisation ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) reported that there were three minor incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in April 2018, while there was no report of actual or attempted incidents involving the abduction of crew from ships while underway in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off eastern Sabah. There was also no incident of hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo during the period.